Pride of Reading awards: Fire crew make a splash for nomination

A courageous fire and rescue crew that took to the water in a national exercise to save people from drowning has been nominated for a Pride of Reading Award.

Station manager Jess James and his team at Caversham Road Fire Station could make a splash at this year’s glittering awards ceremony after being put forward for the coveted 999 crown by assistant chief fire officer Paul Southern.

Praising the team for their “outstanding commitment and dedication above and beyond their day-to-day work” during the first ever National Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Week, Mr Southern said: “Jess led a multi-agency initiative to promote awareness of the dangers arising from water, which was the first initiative of its kind in Berkshire. The outcome is likely to prevent future deaths and injuries from water related incidents.”

The national exercise kicked off with Exercise Cold Shock, organised by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) to bring together services such as the National Police Air Service helicopter, Environment Agency and South Central Ambulance’s Hazardous Area Response Team to test out various scenarios as well as RBFRS’ new water safety communications equipment.

The awareness-raising week saw a “protester” tangled up under Reading Bridge, necessitating an unusual working-at-height rescue using the RBFRS fire boat.

Two mock casualties stranded in a rubber dingy close to the weir face then had to saved, followed by a rescue downstream.

RBFRS crews went onto Windsor, Maidenhead, Newbury and Dinton Pastures to showcase the ‘drown tank, which allows dramatic demonstrations of the dangers of water through the creation of different types of weir.

The tank will be used to train future firefighters in water safety as well as in schools in a bid to reduce drowning by 50 per cent by 2026.

On hearing of his crew’s Pride of Reading nomination, station boss Jess James said: “As the station commander of Caversham Road, I am extremely proud of this nomination.

“So many people and departments supported this week and without them, what we delivered could not have been achieved.

“All the personnel at Caversham Road worked so hard during this week, and the design and creation of the ‘drown tank’ by Red Watch was one of the best visual displays I think I have seen.

“I also must thank everyone from RBFRS for everything they did to make that week such a success and enabled us to deliver our vital water safety message to the people of Royal Berkshire.”